Header removel?

[Hvysbm87]

Hello all, I am going to be installing some of those Ebay headers soon and was wondering what do I need to do to prep the header nuts before I try to remove them?

[superj]

Just spray them with pb blaster the day before or a few hours before

[Hvysbm87]

Thanks, I have never done headers and heard the studs may break on a 30yr old car

[Mikealwa]

I'm not sure if it really does much more, but I've sprayed pb blaster once a day up to three days in advance of doing some jobs. If you have the time 🤷. If you really have trouble there may be a little room to use a propane torch or mapp gas. I've also seen some people loosen a tiny bit, then tighten, then loosen, tighten and then remove if they want to be very careful. Living in WI dealing with rusty bolts is usually half the time spent on any job. Luckily my e30 has not had that issue somehow, but my dd...

[superj]

Newport news is kind of on the water so he could have rust issues. I have actually never had to spray e30 bolts down to remove anything but on jeeps and trucks, sometimes I have a to spray them

[sienayr]

If you have time to apply pb blaster in advance, tapping on them with hammer between applications can help the blaster get down in there real nice.

[tomstin]

I soaked mine with PB blaster, started the car, let the area get "warm" then let it cool down and go through the cycle a second time. Don't be in a hurry, let the PB blaster sit at least overnight.

[clarkitect]

In my experience half of the studs end up coming out with the nut fused to them. Of course it is saltier up here than at the beach in VA.

[jamespaleo]

+ on PB and tapping with brass hammer, and if possible for a day or two in advance. Someone mentioned heating with a torch and MAPP gas (and heating with propane does work as a last resort on many stuck bolts), so I have to report - sadly - MAPP gas is no more. The last plant that produced MAPP gas in the US closed years ago. If you look carefully on a new can you will see it says something like " MAPP/PRO". Meaning it is propane with a teeny amount of I think acetylene. But it's no longer the stuff that burned significantly hotter than propane without needing a separate oxygen tank. And the manufacturers are selling you crap that is basically just propane but at close to 2x the cost of a can of propane. If I remember correctly from a few years ago when it finally dawned on me that MAPP gas just wasn't getting as hot as I was used to, the new stuff only burns about 150 F hotter than plain propane.

[Mikealwa]

Ahh good to know haha. I bought MAPP/pro after struggling with a siezed axle for three days on my daily driver, finally got it loose from the wheel bearing with help from an 8 lbs sledge haha. Broke two pullers on that job, used a can of pb blaster and a quart of homemade atf/acetone penetrant mix. I don't know if it was the extra 150 F from the MAPP gas or likely a combination of three days of manipulation. I thought MAPP/pro was the secret sauce! Now I wonder.

[superj]

dang. no more mapp gas sucks for plumbers. that's what we used for soldering large pipe back in the day because propane wouldn't get it hot enough to draw the solder into the seams. the new solder isn't the old low temp lead so you have to heat it more

[aaverhulst]

OK, I did some digging, maybe MAP/Pro is worth trying. Just a little hotter seems to really help. Here is a quote I found

"But, here is what Thermadyne, the parent company of Victor/TurboTorch, has to say about it.

MAP//PRO, which is produced by Worthington Cylinders of Columbus, OH, has a higher flame temperature and better combustion intensity than propane, which enables professional users to complete their tasks more quickly. MAP//PRO also has a higher vapor pressure than MAPP resulting in better performance in colder temperatures.
"The effective BTU output is a measurement of the quantity of BTUs that actually go into the work piece when heated", said Paul Minter, VP / General Manager, TurboTorch."Our lab tests have revealed that MAP//PRO has approximately a 10% greater BTU output over Propane and a 14% less effective BTU output than MAPP. Given the technical advancements offered by TurboTorch products as the premium brand in the market, our torches maximize the performance of propylene based (MAP//PRO).""

[Mikealwa]

Bah, I'll still pretend my yellow torch is the secret sauce. For all I know 150 degrees more is day and night for breaking down rust and expanding metal. In some rust situations you'll try anything to get the job done. I suspect the penetrants might as well be snake oil ha, but I'll keep using them. Half the tools I own were bought just to try to free a rusty bolt on one or two jobs ha!